


Oceans of Black Umbrellas

by Wonderlandleighleigh



Series: Boarding School Buddies [4]
Category: Batman (Comics), Castle, Gilmore Girls, Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Funerals, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-19
Updated: 2013-02-19
Packaged: 2017-11-29 20:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/690940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wonderlandleighleigh/pseuds/Wonderlandleighleigh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Howard and Maria Stark die. Tony takes it about as well as you'd think.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Oceans of Black Umbrellas

It rained the day of the funeral, and it seemed the entire world showed up. Family friends, business partners, people who had never even met Howard and Maria Stark stood in a sea of black umbrellas to pay their respects. 

Front and center of course, was Tony Stark, and surrounding him were three other teens. 

Bruce Wayne stood behind Tony, a hand gripping his shoulder tightly, while on either side of him stood Rick and Lorelai. Rick's arm wrapped around his neck, while Lorelai rubbed his back.

Next to the clump of eighteen-year-olds stood Obie, stone-faced and pale. 

Nobody spoke. Nobody had kind or endearing words or memories to share.

The priest spoke and it was over as soon as it had started. 

"Alfred will drive us back to your house," Bruce's voice had never sounded so gentle. He was leaving in the morning.

"I should go say hello to my parents," Lorelai muttered and began to pull away. 

"Why bother?" Tony snapped. "They hate you." 

Rick clutched Tony's shoulder tightly. 

Lorelai looked stricken. 

"Go," Bruce said. "We'll meet you at the car." 

Lorelai nodded and kissed Tony's cheek before wandering through the crowd toward her parents. 

"Hi," she said softly. 

Emily didn't look at her. 

"Hello, Lorelai," Richard said quietly. "How is Tony holding up?" 

"Not well," Lorelai said. "How are you, Mom?" 

"One of my oldest, closest friends is dead," Emily replied lightly. "How do you think I am?" 

Lorelai looked down. 

"Where is Rory?" Richard asked. 

"With Christopher," Lorelai told him. 

"And she's well?" 

"Yes, she's very well," Lorelai smiled sadly. "I have new photos of her to mail you." 

Emily still wouldn't look at her. "How nice." 

"Do you have a ride back to Connecticut?" Richard asked. 

"Bruce is going to take me to the train station in the morning," Lorelai told him. "He's leaving for Japan tomorrow."

"That sounds nice for him," Emily said. "He should go to college, though." 

Lorelai grinned and then hugged each of them, despite how stiffly they stood. She pulled back from them and grinned sadly, before waving and then walking toward the car. 

When she reached the boys, she found Tony with his face buried in Rick's chest and Bruce standing over them with an umbrella. 

She rubbed Tony's back again. "Are we ready to go?" 

Tony slowly pulled away and nodded, mopping at his eyes. "Get me the fuck outta here." 

***** 

Instead of his parents' house outside the city, Tony demanded to be taken to the brownstone in Midtown, far away from the wake. 

"Shall I make some supper?" Alfred asked. 

Rick grinned gratefully. "That'd be good, Alfred. Thank you." 

"Of course, Master Rick." 

Lorelai helped Tony to sit down, while Bruce built a fire in the fireplace. 

"So!" Tony said suddenly, making everyone jump with how energetic he sounded. "How about an orgy?" 

"Wow, how about no thank you," Lorelai said dryly. 

"No fun," Tony pouted. 

"I'm with Lorelai on this one," Rick said. "Maybe save the orgies for another time." 

"But this is the last time the four of us will be in a room together for god knows how long," Tony pointed out. "With Bruce leaving the country to 'find himself' and Lorelai stuck in Bumblefuck Connecticut..." 

"And you think the thing to do is to have sex with each other?" Bruce asked, obviously a little confused. 

"Has anyone else noticed that Alfred is still in the room while we discuss this?" Lorelai chimed in. 

"Me," Rick said. "I noticed. And I'm uncomfortable." 

"I haven't heard a thing," Alfred said lightly as he slid something that smelled a little spicy and earthy into the oven.

Tony rolled his eyes. "I forgot how boring the three of you are." 

"How about a movie?" Lorelai suggested. "We could watch something truly terrible, and mock it." 

"Or we could just talk," Rick said. "Talking's good." 

"It's overrated," Bruce muttered. 

"Let's go out!" Tony cried, struggling to his feet from the couch. 

"It's pouring rain," Lorelai said. "And we just got here. And we were just..." 

The room fell silent. 

"Just what?" Tony asked. "Just at my parents' funeral? Why am I the only one who can say it?" 

"Because you're the only one in denial about it," Bruce said. "Tony. You're parents are dead." 

"So are yours," Tony snapped. 

Bruce's eyes stayed on Tony's, his voice stayed even. "And I'll never be okay with that. And neither will you."

Tony grinned and shook his head. He purposefully stumbled across the room, toward the liquor cabinet. 

"He's been drunk all day," Rick whispered. 

"Like I didn't notice," Lorelai muttered. 

"Tony, you've had enough to drink today," Bruce called out. "You don't need anymore alcohol."

"Shut up, Bruce," Tony snapped, waving a bottle of vodka. "You don't know everything."

Rick stood up then, raising his hands. "Tony. You don't have to do this. We'll eat, we'll...we'll watch a movie like Lorelai said. We'll all get some sleep." 

"Stop it." Tony snapped. "Stop trying to take care of me, I don't need anybody to take care of me. I don't need you to walk on eggshells or make me feel like a little kid. I need a drink, a fuck, and possibly a short jail sentence, and if the three of you are feeling to dowdy to help me get those things, then I'll go find them myself." 

"That's not what you need," Lorelai pleaded with him. "You need pajamas and a terrible movie, and you need hugs and a nap, and something to eat. You need sane, rational person things, Tony." 

"This isn't a rational situation!" Tony yelled. "Look around you, Lorelai! We are standing in my parents' brownstone and they're dead! Their car got- they died! Okay?! They're dead there's nothing sane or logical about any of this! We're standing here because- you came here to come to their funeral!" 

They closed in on him. 

"I barely knew them and now they're gone and I'm-" 

Tony swallowed hard and dropped the bottle of vodka, and it hit the floor with a thump, rolling under the couch.

They all stood silent and still for a long moment, and to everyone's surprise, it was Bruce who moved first, approaching Tony slowly and then wrapping him in an awkward but tight hug.

When Tony went limp against him, Rick and Lorelai closed in, too. 

"This never gets better," Bruce said quietly. "But you're not alone."


End file.
